Aug. 29, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina volleyball team moved to 2-0 on the season on Saturday afternoon as it swept North Carolina Central by the scores of 25-12, 25-16 and 25-19 in the Gamecock Invitational at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
The Gamecocks jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first set on their way to taking a 1-0 lead and carried the momentum into set two as they built a 10-3 lead en route to a nine-point win. The Lady Eagles (0-2) kept things close in the third set, pulling to within 15-13 midway through the frame. However, the Gamecocks closed out the match by outscoring North Carolina Central 10-6 the rest of the way.
Carolina turned in an efficient effort offensively with a .353 hitting percentage and held the Lady Eagles to a .080 hitting percentage. The Gamecocks also held the advantage in kills (42-23), assists (39-23), digs (44-25) and blocks (4-0).
Junior outside hitter Dessaa Legros followed up Friday night’s stellar performance with a career effort, tallying a career-high 18 kills while hitting .424. She also added four digs and a career-high three blocks. Junior Abby Feruck pitched in six kills while hitting .600, while freshman Courtney Furlong contributed five kills. Freshman setter Aubrey Ezell recorded her second-straight double-double with a season-high 33 assists and 11 digs. Junior libero Joely Cabrera finished with a match-high 13 digs, and junior Megan Kirkland added eight digs.
Junior outside hitter Kelsey Murphy led the Lady Eagles with seven kills and had four digs, while freshmen Sydney Sumner and Whitney White pitched in six and five kills, respectively. Junior setter Casey Curran recorded 21 assists, and libero Tamika Brekke collected 12 digs.
Match Changer
Legros led the way for the second-straight match, recording a career-high 18 kills while hitting .424 and a career-high three blocks.
Key Stat
The Gamecocks limited North Carolina Central’s offense to a .080 hitting percentage.
Notable
• The Gamecocks improved to 25-0 in home tournament play during the Scott Swanson era with the win.
• Legros set career highs for kills (18) and blocks (3) in the match.
• Four Gamecocks — juniors Abby Feruck and Jordan Wilson-Talmadge and freshmen Claire Blumenthal and Callie Brown — saw their first action of the season against the Lady Eagles.
• Ezell produced her second-straight double-double with a season-high 33 assists and 11 digs.
Tweet of the Match
Starting Saturday off with a win is always a great feeling! Great job @GamecockVolley pic.twitter.com/bziKyerwzD
— Allen Marcus Harter (@AllenMHarter) August 29, 2015
Up Next
The Gamecocks close out play in the Gamecock Invitational tonight at 7 against North Carolina State. The match will be available on SEC Network+.
